Russian forces shelled the railway station in the Ukrainian city of Kherson as over hundred civilians waited there for evaciuation, the Ukrainian president said.
Volodymyr Zelensky said it was a “difficult day” on Tuesday and he just heard about the “Russian strike on the railway station”.
At least one police officer was killed and four others were injured in Tuesday’s attack, Ihor Klymenko, the interior minister, said.
About 140 civilians were at the railway station waiting to be evacuated in the early evening when the Russian forces targeted it but several casualties were avoided due to quick action.
"Thanks to the clear actions of the police, everyone was successfully taken to safe places," Mr Klymenko said on Telegram.
"Unfortunately, a police lieutenant from the Kirovohrad region lost his life due to the shelling. Two more police officers are in the hospital with shrapnel wounds."
A video posted on social media showed a blackout at the railway station as power was snapped and debris and shattered building materials were strewn across the station.
Since Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson and swathes of territories on the western bank of the Dnipro River in November 2022, Russia continues to heavily strike the city with artillery, tanks, drones, and air bombs.
Captured by Russian forces on the second day of the invasion in 2021, the southern city of Kherson was liberated on 11 November. Since then it has been under relentless attack from Russian forces with artillery, tanks, drones, and air bombs.
The residents have been evacuating the towns near the frontlines where fighting has become intense in recent days.
Since the takeover by Ukrainian forces, more than 400 civilians have been killed and over 1,700 wounded in and around Kherson, local authorities said, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Ukrainian railway monopoly Ukrzaliznytsia said the civilians were waiting for the situation to get better before they resumed their journey to Mykolaiv in the neighbouring Mykolaiv Oblast.
"The situation is under control, and the railroad is ready to continue running," Ukrzaliznytsia said in a statement.
It comes as Russian defence ministry claimed success in gaining control of Maryinka town in eastern Ukraine as Ukrainian forces said they have been pushed to outskirts.
Ukraine’s commander in chief Valery Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian soldiers were still holding positions in the northern flank of the town outside Donetsk, a Russian-held regional capital.
Russia seizing control of Maryinka would amount to the Kremlin’s most significant battlefield gain since May when it captured Bakhmut following months of intense fighting.
